Clean Clothes Campaign Germany

The international Clean Clothes Campaign was initiated in 1990 by various organizations from the Netherlands. In 1995, the program was extended to Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. The campaign reached Germany in the summer of 1996. From the outset it was supported by many groups, among them Christian organizations, trade unions and NGOs. They worked in unison to attain goals in the developmental domain. Clean means socially sustainable The campaign addresses the dirty business of exploiting women. It aims at:

• Better working conditions in textile industries across the world
• Respect of minimum standards in the retail trade throughout the supply channels
• Supporting employees with urgent action concerted by the EU in concrete cases of human rights and labour violations
• Providing consumers with information on the conditions of production

The Code of Conduct in the Garment and Sportswear Industry was devised in close cooperation with Southern countries. The code is based on the ILO conventions that require the following: Freedom to organise Right to tariff negotiations Prohibition of forced labour Minimum age Antidiscrimination Appropriate wages Maximum working hours Security and health standards at the work place The campaign called on the textile industries to sign the code and to allow an independent institution to monitor the observance of these standards. Supporters of the campaign: Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Evangelischen Jugend, Bund der Deutschen Katholischen Jugend, Christliche Initiative Romero, DGB Bildungswerk e.V/Nord-Süd-Netz, EIRENE, Evangelische Frauenarbeit in Deutschland, Evangelische StudentInnengemeinde Deutschlands, IG-Metall, INKOTA-Netzwerk e.V, Katholische Arbeitnehmer Bewegung, Katholischer Deutscher Frauenbund, Katholische Landjugendbewegung Deutschlands, Nordelbisches Frauenwerk, NRO-Frauenforum, Ökomenisches Netz Rhein-Mosel-Saar, Südwind Institut für Ökonomie und Ökumene, TERRE DES FEMMES, TIE Internationales Bildungswerk e.V., ver.di Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, Vereinte Evangelische Mission Wuppertal